If you’re just starting a new business, there are many things you need to consider as you begin your journey. If you’re planning a digital marketing strategy or have any kind of online presence, one of the most important elements is search engine optimization, or SEO. Building a good SEO strategy and learning how to optimize your content for search engines will help you expand your reach and gain a wider audience.
The thought of developing an SEO strategy may seem scary and overwhelming, especially if you’re not familiar with SEO concepts. However, SEO is simply the utilization of techniques to increase your website traffic and help you rank better on search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing. SEO uses links, keywords, coding and analytics, among other things, to optimize your content for search engine rankings. Use these simple tips to help you get started on improving your SEO for your new business or website.
Choose the Right Domain
Your company’s domain name, or the name you give your site, is the first thing potential clients or customers will see when seeing you pop up on a search engine or in an advertisement. Make sure it’s concise and summarizes what your business is all about. One thing many don’t consider when creating a domain is spelling. However, it’s important to make sure potential clients are being directed to the right place. Try to choose words that are easy to spell and easy to remember.
Consider how your brand will expand in the future and make sure your domain name is one that you can stick with. Although having keywords you’re targeting isn’t essential for your domain, it is something to consider if you can fit it in. In addition, consider buying a domain instead of creating a free website. Having your own domain will build credibility for your new business to attract new clients.
Perform Keyword Research
The best way to perform keyword research is to pretend that you’re a customer of your own business. What products are you looking for, what questions do you have and what resources do you need? You may also want to create a list of relevant search terms that your target audience would be using. For example, if you’re selling Beverly Hills MD products, your relevant keywords may be “skin care” or “beauty serums” to ensure your content pops up when customers are looking for those terms.
Google’s autocomplete feature is also useful for keyword research. It can show you what most people are searching for and what they want to know within your niche.
You may also choose to utilize tools such as Google’s keyword planner to help you develop keyword ideas. These tools can give you data on your competition as well as search query information.
Perfect Your Content
Content is a huge part of your SEO strategy. Between landing pages, blogs and social media content, perfecting your content to maximize your SEO practices will help your business rank better on search engines. If your company’s main marketing strategy is digital, it may be worth it to invest in content creators that are well-versed in SEO practices. However, there are many online certifications and training programs that you can use to help you write SEO content as well.
To perfect your content, make sure to use primary and secondary keywords in any content you want to rank. Space out the keywords and stay alert for “keyword stuffing” or putting the same keywords too close together. For content on your blog or website, keep in mind that features like meta descriptions and alt text on images will influence your SEO ranking as well. Although many don’t consider the HTML coding of a website, it is essential to SEO.
Readability of your content, like sentence length and headers, can also impact your SEO. Use a tool like Moz or Yoast to help you uncover the best SEO strategy for your content.
Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly
Between smartphones and tablets, people aren’t just using the web on desktops anymore. With the internet being available at your fingertips, you need to keep up with the changing times. Make sure your website is accessible to those using mobile devices. This includes graphic design, navigation and text placement. Creating a mobile-friendly website may mean switching up some features, like image sizes and fonts.
Although SEO can seem overwhelming and complicated, once you know the basics tips and tricks, it’s easier to understand and put into practice. Any new business should utilize SEO in their digital marketing strategy to help increase website traffic.
